Mesut Ozil looks to be “gone” at Arsenal, admits Ian Wright, with Mikel Arteta having made it clear that life at Emirates Stadium is now “all about attitude”.
A World Cup winner in north London has seen his application called into question.
It is not the first time that Ozil has faced such scrutiny, with his laid-back approach to filling a creative No.10 post having seen him fall short of expectations on a regular basis.
He may, however, find himself ushered towards the exits on the back of his latest struggles to convince.
Arteta has taken to dropping the 31-year-old from his plans, with a former Germany international yet to see a minute of competitive football since Premier League action resumed in mid-June.
Ozil still has 12 months left to run on a lucrative contract at Arsenal, with his representatives stating that the intention is to see that deal out, but Wright feels a parting of ways may be on the cards.
He is among those who believe that the former Real Madrid star could still have something to offer the Gunners, but concedes that Arteta appears ready to take things in a different direction.
Arsenal icon Wright told Premier League Productions of Ozil: “I think that he’s gone.
“It’s all about attitude. The thing is when you look at Dani Ceballos, he had an attitude problem, Mikel turned him round and now he’s in the team.
“Matteo Guendouzi – they’re talking about him having a problem – he’s not in the team.
“Mikel’s given people the opportunity to get into the team if their attitude is right but at the minute their attitude is not right.
“Arsenal need him [Ozil], of course.
“But I believe that he’s somebody that’s gone from Arsenal - whether he stays or Mikel gets rid of him, we’re not going to see much of him.”
Part of the problem for Arsenal is going to be finding a club willing to take on Ozil’s considerable salary.
They would also expect to generate a fee from any deal done in the next window, as an experienced figure remains under contract, but few sides have expressed a willingness to do a deal at present.